What Do Blood Spots in Eggs Signify? Are They Safe to Consume?

Ever wondered about those blood spots in eggs when you crack open one for breakfast? Ever tossed it away in disgust without giving it a second thought? Learn about why certain eggs contain traces of blood, and if it's safe to consume or not.

If you're like me and have an obsession with all kinds of eggs, or have a particular favorite way of making these delicious breakfast eats, then you'll know that this is probably the best food option to start out a day. Eggs are tremendously versatile, making them great not just as a breakfast edible, but as a vital ingredient in dishes as well. It gives desserts fluff and creaminess, making it an essential ingredient in pastries and the sort.

High in good fats, it gives your system a much-needed supply of this although one of this a day is ideal and not more. It isn't the bad kind of fat that converts into deposits that sit in bulgy folds around your body, but the good kind that helps in storing fats that the body needs for energy. Too much of this of course can be bad news for those with cholesterol troubles, since the yolk contains high traces of this.

Eggs should be eaten in restrained quantities per week, where a minimum of four eggs should suffice for those who are older. An egg a day carries enough cholesterol to give your body just the right amount of this, when another egg would cross the limit.

To make eggs a healthier mix of both nutrition and bursting flavor, add in herbs and spices while going easy on the salt. Serve it with a side of sauteed veggies and use olive oil when you opt for frying these. The issue of blood spotting in eggs can be quite appalling to witness when you crack open an egg; we explore why this occurs.

How do Blood Spots in Eggs Occur?

A batch of eggs that contain a blood spot or two on them, be it on the yolk (yellow portion) or albumin (white portion), will naturally cause alarm upon seeing these. The blood spots believe it or not, aren't harmful or something that should ring the alarm bell. It is perfectly safe to eat, and can be easily removed using the tip of something sharp like a knife or toothpick. The reason for the blood spots is that the initial stages when the egg forms, finds the developing egg encased within a sack that contains a network of blood vessels.

When the yolk gradually matures, it is then released from the yolk sac called the suture line or stigma. The yolk sac can sometimes tear during the process, causing blood vessels to rupture and leak into the yolk, causing even the albumin portion to have a spotting of blood. These lighten over time, where dark blood spots signal that an egg is fresh. Other reasons why this happens is a lack of Vitamin A from the hen's diet, where these eggs under examination show a bit of spotting before distribution.

You can avoid those certain hens from further producing more eggs if this is seen on a regular basis, which is hereditary if you raise the offspring to lay eggs in the future. There's another kind of spotting that comes into play, called meat spots. Eggs are either tinged a reddish-brown, white, tan or gray. These spots can either change color because of a chemical reaction that the blood spot undergoes before it changes color, or a bit of tissue that got in during reproduction.

Those who raise hens should stop particular livestock from laying eggs if the spotting is as bad as varying colors present upon being examined electronically. Not all eggs are caught as being the spot kinds, being an impossible task to detect all spots present within the eggs. They are safe for consumption nonetheless, and can be eaten without worrying about any hidden effects. Like I mentioned earlier, you can easily remove these spots if they sicken you upon sight.

Some people say that the blood spots may mean that the egg has crossed over to being an embryo, and was stunted because of being laid mid process. It hasn't been scientifically declared that this is the case, and as far as those who know about these is concerned, there is no harm involved or anything controversial about eating eggs that have blood spots on them.